How to Make Baked Breaded Chicken in the Oven

The promise of crispy, juicy chicken from the oven — rather than the fryer— can seem like a tall order. Is there a way to get the chicken just as crispy as it is when its fried? Will the oven dry the chicken out?

While this recipe technique isn’t quite as simple as shaking chicken with breadcrumbs in a bag, the results are worth the minimal extra effort. Toasted panko breadcrumbs give the chicken a golden, crispy exterior, while a paste of eggs and mayo keeps the chicken juicy. This recipe is not a play on oven-fried chicken — it’s more a homage to the baked, crumb-coated chicken of our youth, whether you grew up with Shake’N Bake or cornflake-crusted chicken cutlets. It’s also the answer to a quick dinner when the drive-thru might otherwise call your name.

• Toast the breadcrumb coating. Toasting the panko breadcrumbs in the oven not only adds a ton of flavor and even more crunch, but it also gives the chicken a golden hue. Cover the baking sheet in foil so you can remove the foil after the panko is toasted and use it as a sort of tray for coating the chicken.
• Pound the chicken. Place each chicken breast inside a gallon-sized zip-top bag and pound to about a 1/4-inch thickness. You can use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, or even a heavy glass or empty wine bottle.
• Coat the chicken with egg and mayo. An egg coating is pretty traditional, but combining the egg with mayo helps the coating stick to the chicken and stay moist in the oven.
• Bake the chicken on a wire rack. This is the secret step that makes baking the chicken even faster and juicier. Elevate the chicken on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet to create airflow and circulation to efficiently cook it.

• Pound the chicken. As you know, chicken breast comes in all different shapes and sizes. Pounding the chicken into thin, even pieces is key to keeping this crispy oven chicken juicy while it cooks. If pounding sounds more time-consuming than therapeutic to you, use my favorite hack: Pound the chicken inside a gallon-sized zip-top bag. The bag contains all the mess and won’t slip and slide under the mallet or rolling pin.
• You can use chicken thighs. This recipes calls for four boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but this technique works also on boneless, skinless thighs.

We love this chicken as an alternative to chicken fingers served with roasted broccoli and apple sauce on super-busy weeknights, but you can also dress it up and pair it with a salad and a nice sparkling wine. Chop it up to add to salads or serve over pasta — dinner hero achievement unlocked!